Trump says he will raise US global tariff rate from 10% to 15%
- Last updated: February 21, 2026 | 21:20 ..
President Donald Trump said on Saturday he will raise temporary tariffs on almost all US imports from 10% to 15%, the maximum level allowed under the law, after the US Supreme Court struck down his previous tariff program as invalid.
Trump had immediately announced a 10% across-the-board tariff on Friday after the court's decision, which found the president had exceeded his authority when he imposed an array of higher rates under an economic emergency law.
The new levies are grounded in a separate law, known as Section 122, that allows tariffs up to 15% but requires congressional approval to extend them after 150 days.
In a social media post on Saturday, Trump said he would use that period to work on issuing other "legally permissible" tariffs.
The administration intends to rely on two other statutes that permit import taxes on specific products or countries based on investigations into national security or unfair trade practices.
"I, as President of the United States of America, will be, effective immediately, raising the 10% Worldwide Tariff on Countries, many of which have been 'ripping' the U.S. off for decades, without retribution (until I came along!), to the fully allowed, and legally tested, 15% level," he wrote in a Truth Social post.
Trump has shown little sign of backing off his global trade war in the hours since the court's 6-3 decision, attacking individual justices in personal terms and insisting he retained the power to impose tariffs as he sees fit.
GLOBAL LEADERS AND BUSINESSES PORE OVER FALLOUT OF MORE US TARIFF SWOONS
Meanwhile, governments and companies around the world scrambled on Saturday to determine the impact of the US Supreme Court ruling that struck down some of the Trump administration sweeping global tariffs.
The latest twist in the US tariff roller coaster ride, launched when President Trump returned to office 13 months ago and upended dozens of trading relationships with the world's biggest economy, roiled trade officials from South Korea to South America and well beyond.
South Korea's Trade Ministry called for an emergency meeting to understand the new landscape.
Some specific exports to the US, like automobiles and steel, aren't affected by the US high court decision.
Those that are affected will likely now be covered by a new 10% tariff imposed by an executive order Trump signed on Friday.
Trump announced on Saturday morning that he would raise the tariff to 15%.
In Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron hailed the checks and balances in the United States, praising the "rule of law" during a visit to a Paris agricultural fair: "It's a good thing to have powers and counter-powers in democracies. We should welcome that." But he cautioned against any triumphalism.
Officials were going over the language of bilateral or multilateral deals struck with the U.S. in recent months, even as they braced for new swings.
"I note that President Trump, a few hours ago, said he had reworked some measures to introduce new tariffs, more limited ones, but applying to everyone," Macron said.
"So we'll look closely at the exact consequences, what can be done, and we will adapt."
Alluding to the new 10% tariff threat, Sergio Bermúdez, head of an industrial parks company in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, along the Texas border, said Trump "says a lot of things, and many of them aren't true. All of the businesses I know are analysing, trying to figure out how it's going to affect them."
Agencies